The CTD 5000 grit pad leaves a finish that appears to be polished if you wet sand on a spinner. I prefer it to polish as it seems a bit more durable

I have had excellent results using a 5000 Trizact pad with water.  So much so that I never use polish or compound anymore.  Depending on time and pressure, a high shine or a sheen is easily achieved.  Plus, this pad seems to last way more than other high grit pads. I highly recommend the Trizact 5000 pad.

I've seen on the CTD videos that he suggests using higher grit sanding pads to finish balls as opposed to compound or polish. Anybody else try this process ? Did you like it better or not ?

Watch this video.  The shot with P5000D has a more pronounced backend motion.  So it just depends on what you want the ball to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoTLkSsCM7c

Quote from: JohnN on January 29, 2022, 12:10:21 PM

I've seen on the CTD videos that he suggests using higher grit sanding pads to finish balls as opposed to compound or polish. Anybody else try this process ? Did you like it better or not ?

Watch this video.  The shot with P5000D has a more pronounced backend motion.  So it just depends on what you want the ball to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoTLkSsCM7c

Although I am a fan of the finer abrasives in many instances, this is not a true comparison between compound #2 and the 5000 pad.  Why?  Because he added the compound to the ball AFTER IT HAD ALREADY BEEN ADJUSTED with the 5000 pad, bringing the surface up over 6000, in my estimation. Of course the ball with the compound would go farther before changing direction.

A true comparison would be to take the ball back down to whatever grit you had before the 5000 pad was used, and then try the compound and compare.  The abrasives in the compound will change the underlying grit or surface of the ball.

I'm a huge fan of polishing via sanding of the ball, my favorite grit being 5000 sandpaper wet-sanded.
I'm rev dominant with softer speed, so appreciate any help getting the ball down the lane.
The difference between the many types of polish are that they will almost always result in increased skid along with increased flip.
Sanding the ball to 5000 increases skid without increasing flip, in my experience.
Great question by the way 

This is why I always prefer compounds over polish.  The compound gives a polished look but doesnt affect the underlying grit nearly as much and still allows the cover to read the pattern much better.  EX:  I prefer Storm 2 over Storm X-tra Shine or Brunswick Factory Compound over Factory Finish.  Rough Buff was by far my go to product when it was around but would be willing to bet Factory Compound is roughly the same thing.